Have a need for speed? Then get ready for new rules that soon will give Texas motorists a green light to drive even faster.

The Texas Transportation Commission on Thursday approved increasing speed limits to 75 mph along more than 1,500 miles of highways in the state, including portions of Interstates 10, 35 and 37 in Bexar County.

“Texas' economic strength depends on the efficient and safe movement of people and goods,” Rawson said. “These new speed limits increase highway efficiency while maintaining the safety of the transportation system.”

“The research is clear — when speed limits go up, so do the deaths,” Rader said. “Raising the speed limit gets people to their destination faster but with the trade-off that roads are less safe.”

Lopez said studies ultimately will determine if the speeds can safely be increased on I-10 and I-35.

Because the I-37 study is complete, new speed limit signs could be up as early as next week, she said.

But put the brakes on your wildest speed demon dreams: The higher speed limits only will apply to some portions of the highways, and most of those will be outside San Antonio's urban core.

“The center of Bexar County is not going to be affected,” Lopez said. “It's going to be more the outskirts, headed out of Bexar County.”

Expect to see new speed limit signs on I-37 south of Loop 410 and all the way to Corpus Christi.

TxDOT officials are studying the 75-mph limit for I-10 from the Kerr and Gillespie county lines to Loop 1604 on the north side of town, and on the interstate from near Foster Road, east toward Houston, Lopez said.

South of San Antonio along I-35, the higher speeds are being considered between the Frio and Medina County line and Texas Spur 422/Texas 16 in San Antonio, she said.

The cost of implementing the new speed limits is $384,024, which includes speed studies and installing the new signs, according to TxDOT.

For more information, go to txdot.gov and click on “Commission approves speed limit increases” under the “What's new” section.